The Cubs have signed a catcher Dom Núñez to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. MLBTR has confirmed the pact and that the backstop will receive an invite to major league Spring Training.
Nuñez, who turns 28 this month, has spent the vast majority of his career with the Rockies. They selected him in the sixth round of the 2013 draft and he worked his way up to the majors to make his debut in 2019. Nuñez is generally considered a solid defender but hasn’t provided too much at the plate. He’s played in 111 MLB games over the past four years, striking out in 34% of his plate appearances but walking at a solid 12.4% clip. His career batting line currently sits at .180/.280/.373.
The only portion of his career that wasn’t spent with the Rockies was very brief. The Giants claimed him off waivers November 9 of 2022, only to designate him for assignment and non-tender him one week later. He elected free agency and will now jump to the Cubs’ organization.
The Cubs currently have three catchers on their 40-man roster, with Tucker Barnhart and Yan Gomes slated to share the catching role on the big league roster. Prospect Miguel Amaya is also on the roster but he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021. He returned to action last year but was limited to just 40 minor league games and has yet to reach Triple-A. Nuñez will give the club an experienced depth option to be called upon if an injury creates a need at the big league level.
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